TikTok is now available in the US again after a temporary blackout.
The Downloadis our weekly newsletterthat gives you a daily dose on what’s happening in the world.
The Second Wave of AI Coding is Here
If you ask people who are building generative AI about what generative AI can do right now, and what they’re most excited about, many will say: coding.
From established AI giants and buzzy startups, everyone is promising to take coding assistance to the next level. This next generation of coding assistants can prototype, test and debug code instead of just providing developers with supercharged autocomplete. The result is that developers may become managers who spend more time reviewing code written by models than they do writing it themselves.
There’s more. Read the full story. OpenAI has developed an AI model to study longevity.
–Will Douglas Heaven.
OpenAI created an AI model to study longevity.
You probably think of AlphaFold when you think about AI’s contribution to science. The Google DeepMind program that folds proteins won its creator the Nobel Prize last year. OpenAI is now claiming to be getting into science with a model that engineers proteins.
According to the company, it has developed a model of a language that can create proteins that can turn regular cells into stem cell–and it has beaten humans by a wide margin.
This is OpenAI’s very first model that focuses on biological data, and it is their first public claim to be able to produce unexpected scientific results. We can’t tell how impressive the model is until scientists from outside get a hold of it. Read the complete story.
–Antonio Regalado.
10 Breakthrough Technologies by 2025: Cleaner jet fuel.
Fuels made from used cooking oils, industrial wastes, or even gases found in the air, could be used to power planes that don’t use fossil fuels. Depending on their source, they could reduce emissions by half or almost eliminate them. They can be used on existing planes and could help to accelerate climate change.
Alternative jet fuels are in development for many years. Now they’re becoming big business. New factories are opening to produce them, and government mandates require their use. While only 0.5% of the 100 billion gallons or so of jet fuel used by planes in 2013 was not fossil fuel, this could soon change. Read the full article. MIT Technology Review’s annual list, “Tech to Watch”includes
Casey Crownhart.
A cleaner jet fuel was one of our10 Breakthrough Technologies by 2025. Check out the other breakthroughs on the list and vote to determine the honorary 11th.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
TikTok has returned to the US
Donald Trump was thanked for his promise to fight the federal ban that the company is facing. The Verge]
+ For around 14 hours, the app was unavailable to users in America. Perplexity, an AI search startup, has proposed merging with TikTok. Here’s how to make money with TikTok. WSJ ($)
Elon Musk is a problem for Trump’s staff
The aides are annoyed at his constant contributions on matters he knows little about. (WSJ$)
+ It is inevitable that a power struggle will occur between the two men. Slate ($)
+ The crypto elite attended a VIP Trump Party on Friday. N.Y. Mag ($)
The Pentagon’s “kill list” is being accelerated by AI
Even though the US military cannot use AI to kill humans directly, it is making the planning process easier and faster. OpenAI’s new contract with the Defense Department completes its military pivot. MIT Technology Review
The majority of Americans still haven’t tried their latest covid boosters
despite the fact that they could protect you and others. Today marks five years since the US first registered a covid case. Europol is crackingdown on encryption
Europol plans to pressure Big Tech into giving police access to encrypted communications. (FT $)
Six This Swiss startup created a powerful robot worm
Borobotics plans to deploy the bots in our gardens to dig for geothermal heat. The Next Web
Seven thousand lithium batteries were destroyed by a massive fire.
In California, the world’s largest storage facility for batteries was in flames. (New Scientist$)
+ Three key takeaways on the current state batteries. MIT Technology Review
Eight Amazon’s delivery robots struggle in the rain. (Bloomberg$)
9 A Ring doorbell caught a meteorite falling to Earth
This is the first time a doorbell camera has captured a meteorite’s fall. CBS News
Ten AI apps are coming for your wardrobe.
New apps will suggest what you should wear and how to pair it. (The Guardian )
Quote of the day
“TikTok was 100x better than anything you’ve created.”
—An Instagram user snaps at Facebook founder Mark Zuckerbergin the wake of TikTok’s temporary US blackout over the weekend.
Big story
Running Tide faces scientist departures and increasing concerns over seaweeds sinking to remove carbon
June 2022
Running Tide hopes to set tens or thousands of tiny floating farms adrift on the North Atlantic. The idea is to have the macroalgae, which are fast-growing, sink to the ocean’s floor and store thousands of tons of CO2.
This company has received millions in venture capital and gained wide media attention. MIT Technology Review reports that the company struggled to grow kelp in the open ocean along rope lines during its initial attempts last summer and has lost a number of scientists since then. What will happen next? Read the entire story.
– James Temple
You can still enjoy nice things
This is a place to find comfort, fun, and distraction. (Do you have any ideas? Drop a line (or or skeet them at me).
– Why not brighten up your Monday by listening to The Smiths? It’s fascinating to learn how fish perceive color. The people of Finland are experts on happiness .
+ Spring is here and these destinationsare perfect for a getaway.
